Trent Alexander-Arnold Bags First Real Madrid Assist as Xabi Alonso’s Side Edge Juventus into Club World Cup Quarters
He’s in white now, but the crosses still scream Liverpool. Trent Alexander-Arnold notched his first assist for Real Madrid, setting up the winner in a 1-0 victory over Juventus to book a quarter-final ticket at the Club World Cup.
Playing his fourth game in a row at the tournament, Trent had a quiet first half at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami but he more than made up for it. Nine minutes after the break, he whipped in one of those trademark crosses, and Gonzalo Garcia rose to meet it with a bullet header that finally broke Juve’s resistance.
Xabi’s Shape, Same Issues
Xabi Alonso stuck with his 5-3-2 setup, and while it looked sharp on paper, Real were shaky in the first half. Juventus should’ve made them pay, especially when Randal Kolo Muani was sent clean through by Kenan Yildiz, only to sky it like it was Sunday League. Yildiz himself nearly scored with a powerful strike that took a wicked deflection wide.

Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde both knocked at the door, but Michele Di Gregorio was having none of it. The Juve goalkeeper pulled off a string of brilliant saves, including a stunning one-handed effort to deny Valverde.
Madrid pushed harder after halftime, but Di Gregorio was still in brick-wall mode, saving from both Bellingham and Dean Huijsen. But when Garcia met Trent’s cross with sheer conviction, even Super Gigi Buffon might’ve struggled. The ball was in the roof of the net before anyone could blink.
Star Boys Shine Bright

Gonzalo Garcia’s goal made it three strikes in three games at this tournament, a statline that’s already earning him comparisons to a young Raul. Cool, clinical, and confident beyond his years, Garcia is fast becoming a fan favourite in Madrid. Add in the silky feet of Arda Guler, and Alonso’s youth-powered project suddenly looks electric.
Madrid now face Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the quarter-finals this weekend, and with three wins from three under Xabi, the momentum is firmly with Los Blancos.
The Real Headline?
Trent Alexander-Arnold is cooking again.

After delivering 92 assists in 354 games for Liverpool (a Premier League record for a defender during that span), he’s finally opened his Real Madrid account. And what an assist it was, curled to perfection, begging to be headed home. Madridistas will hope it’s just the beginning.
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